Superman
by Duck Life
Summary: Bella has a secret. She hasn't told anyone, but, in a moment of panic, Edward learns the truth. What will he do? Please R&R!
1. Prologue

Bella towed Edward towards the park just on the edge of Forks. "Come on, Edward! It's a nice day," she argued, for Edward had been reluctant about going to the park.

"Vampires are supposed to stay _inside _on nice days," he reminded her stubbornly. She huffed.

"It's not _that _nice," she pointed out, gesturing to the cloudy sky. "See? No sunlight. You're fine." Edward sighed, but allowed her to lead him into the park. She eased onto a damp bench, and he sat beside her. Their hands intertwined loosely, and they smiled lazily at each other as the afternoon dwindled towards dusk.

Suddenly, there was a shout and the sound of a gunshot. Edward tensed, but even he was not fast enough to stop the small bullet that hurtled towards Bella. Her eyes stared unseeingly, her mouth open in acute surprise. And then… the bullet disappeared. Edward was already at her side, reaching for her, trying to help her. She looked scared, certainly mortified, but not in pain. Bella showed no signs of physical distress. It was then that Edward noticed her hand, clenched into a fist in front of her.

"Bella?" he asked, his voice frightened and panicked. Slowly, carefully, she opened her hand, glancing up warily at him. There, nestled in her palm, was a small black bullet. Her hand showed no signs of damage.

"I'm…sorry, Edward," she breathed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."


	2. Chapter 1

Half an hour later, Bella was sitting on the Cullens' white couch being roughly interrogated by Edward and Carlisle. Edward's icy hand was a vice against her fingers, and he seemed tense, waiting to spring and defend her from some threatening terror. "How did you stop that bullet?" he asked through clenched teeth. Carlisle glanced at him worriedly, but Edward was staring fiercely at Bella.

"I-just…j-just," she blubbered, unable to speak. "It was…so fast…and I just reached out and I…I caught it," she gasped, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. Edward's expression softened, and he pulled her against his chest.

"Bella," he crooned, but his voice was too full of tension to be reassuring. Carlisle carefully placed a hand on Bella's shoulder and drew her back.

"Isabella," he said firmly, "What do you know about this?" She sighed and stared at his face, then at Edward's. She seemed frightened, but, with a gentle squeeze of the hand from Edward, she began.

"About two years ago, in Phoenix, I was trying to get to sleep one night, and…I couldn't. I was restless. I sat up for a long time, but I couldn't drift off. Finally, I stood up and went to the window. It was a full moon, and it seemed closer than ever that night. It was spooky. And then…I saw a light. It looked like a star just popped into existence. I thought that maybe it was an airplane, but then it started growing. It took me a while to realize that it was coming closer. By that time…" She gulped. "It was so close. It started going faster, and then…" She pointed at her chest, trying to show them what had happened. "It went _inside _me." She stopped, and appeared frozen. A tear continued its way down her cheek and landed on her leg with a quiet _drip_.

"Bella?" asked Edward tentatively, leaning in to look at her.

"I got stronger, faster. My eyesight was better," she said in a flat voice. "I tried to hide it by being clumsier than I had been. I didn't try to stop things from hurting me." Bella paused, and relaxed a bit. She looked up at Edward. "I was glad that you were so strong. I could pretend that I depended on you. I could pretend that you were stronger than me." Edward looked surprised.

"You're stronger than me?" he asked quietly. Bella looked puzzled. She bit her lip.

"Look." She held up her hand. "Arm wrestle." Looking horrified, Edward dazedly placed his hand in hers and tried to force it down. It didn't budge. Bella flexed her elbow a bit, and Edward's hand flew to the side. His mouth popped open. Carlisle's eyes were huge.

"Why were you hiding this?" asked Carlisle slowly. For some reason, Bella looked even more terrified than before. She looked back and forth between Edward and Carlisle, deciding. Finally, she sat up straighter and answered in a small voice.

"I killed someone."


	3. Chapter 2

Edward leaned against the cool wall of the hall. Bella had gone home hours ago. She was asleep now; Edward had insisted that she get some rest, and she couldn't do so if he was there.

Thoughts whirled around in his head, tangling themselves with horrific images and stabs of pain and anguish. He could not believe that his Bella, his sweet, kind, caring Bella, could ever commit such an astounding act. It wasn't Bella. _But_, he argued, _The Bella you know isn't real at all. _How could it be so? He thought that he knew Bella better than anyone. And yet, she had been hiding this from him. It was all a trick.

Deciding that he needed to get out of his head, Edward went to consult with his family. They, too, had believed they knew Bella. He wandered through the house, searching for someone. Edward didn't feel like calling them because he didn't want to draw attention to himself. Finally, he found Emmett lounging on his bed.

"Em?" asked Edward, realizing that his voice was too rough. He tried to breathe deeply, calming himself. Emmett looked at him strangely.

"You okay?" he asked, standing up.

"Er…well, I don't really know right now," answered Edward. He sat down on the bed, and Emmett copied him. Emmett seemed as if he were wondering whether his brother was going to attack him or run away. Edward swallowed. "What-what…" His mouth gaped wordlessly. His eyes were empty, yet somehow simultaneously full of worry, pain, fear, and horror.

"Edward," said Emmett gravely. "I don't know so much, but I do know a lot about love. I know that, if it's the only thing that is, it's true. No matter what one person is hiding, love is never a lie," he said, but then his face clouded. "True love," he amended. "Real love. And what you and Bella had- have- is more real than anything I've ever seen." He appeared to be trying to hide his slip-up, worried the Edward would consider leaving her, and knowing that it would hurt him more than anything had ever hurt anyone. Then he remembered that Edward could read his mind. "Ed-"he said, but it was too late.

"Good-bye," he said gruffly, exiting. Emmett stared after him, his face paling. Suddenly, Alice appeared next to him.

"Emmett, it's okay. He's just going hunting. You…offended him," she said reassuringly, patting his elbow, as it was as high as she could reach.

"Yeah," answered Emmett absently. "Yeah, it's okay."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Deep in the woods, Edward's bare feet pounded against the packed earth, creating craters that he struggled to conceal, or at the very least to shape them so that they did not look like feet. Instead of waiting and looking for better game, he attacked the first thing he saw-a large buck. However, the blood didn't even taste good to him. His mind was too clouded for enjoyment. Finally, he gave up on trying to distract himself with the meal and began to walk away, leaving the deer half-drained. But then, a certain smell made him pause. Jasper had smelled the unfinished buck and gone to investigate. Upon noticing his brother, he rushed to Edward's side to inquire about his troubles. Edward sighed and turned to the honey-blond vampire of the south that was Jasper Cullen.

"Bella…is…a murderer," he said, and his voice sounded painful. Jasper saw the awful, lost, empty expression in Edward's eyes and tried to comfort him by manipulating his emotions. Edward shook his head. "It's no use, I know the truth. She killed someone!" He buried his face in his hands and shook his head back and forth, as if trying to dispel the image of his one love as a destroyer. Jasper reached up hesitantly and patted his brother's shoulder.

"Edward, you're okay. _She's _okay. I honestly don't know why you're taking this so hard. You're a murderer too, you know," said Jasper quietly. That was the wrong thing to say.

"It's different!" roared Edward. "I'm a vampire! A filthy, vile, cruel, evil vampire! Bella is just so kind and pure and…_human_," he trailed off. Jasper looked up at him from under his bangs.

"I think you should really try to understand what she's telling you…that she's _not _human," he said. Then, he sprinted away towards the house, leaving Edward there to sort through his jumbled thoughts.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Rosalie lounged on the couch, watching as her brother approached her. Edward quietly sat next to her without looking at her. She straightened up to a more formal sitting position, and then turned to face him. His jaw was taut, and his face looked slightly scrunched up, as if in deep concentration. Finally, he began.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked bleakly. Though she knew it was cruel, Rosalie struggled to keep a straight face.

"Edward, I know you. I know that you're going to stretch this out until it's completely unbearable to everybody. Don't!" She glanced at him, and then continued with a coy smile. "You're going to beat yourself up about it, and then, well, to tell the truth, she'll leave you," finished Rosalie bluntly. Edward gaped at her. Rosalie stared back in disbelief. "What are you waiting for? Go! Go talk to her!" cried Rosalie, pushing him off the couch. Edward stood with his back to her for a moment, and then he turned and thanked her before running out of the door.


	4. Chapter 3

**BELLA'S POV**

I rolled over in my bed, staring at the window. It was raining, as usual, and the raindrops splattering across the pane blurred and distorted my view of the outside. All I could see was a general dark green and black. I shivered and curled up under my quilt. It was odd how I knew that I would be so much warmer with the equivalent of a block of ice lying next to me. I missed Edward. He'd looked so hurt and bewildered when I had last seen him.

Why did I have to be like this? This curse had destroyed my life. Why couldn't I be human? And really, it wasn't as if I was completely inhuman. I was simply inhumanly strong and fast. I sighed. The truth was, I was a vampire, minus the blood-sucking, colored eyes, good looks, and immortality. It sounded pathetic. I was a vampire without all the perks.

I knew where I came from, and it wasn't Krypton. I came from exactly where I was, truthfully, but it wasn't where I belonged. I belonged in the sun, in a friendly suburban house near the neighborhood pool, a place where it hardly ever rained. Or was that where I wanted to be? Was I lying to myself? How could I belong in the sun? It was merely desire, just a lie I had told myself, a mask I'd hid behind. I knew, deep down, that I belonged in the shadows, hidden, where no one could find me. I belonged in dark corners, under a veil, somewhere where I could be invisible. Where Edward was.

It was good that Edward knew the truth. I had to keep telling myself that. Now maybe he wouldn't feel the need to be so overprotective. I laughed, and then felt sick. I wished that Edward would come. Suddenly, I blinked. I sat up and stared hard out the window. A face was staring back at me.

I jumped out of bed and hurried to the window, unlatching it and jerking it up. He hopped over the sill and hugged me. I smiled into his chest. I looked up to see him grinning. "I thought you might need some comforting. You usually sleep with your window open," said Jacob. I pulled back.

"You spy on my house?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't _spy _on it," he contradicted, "I just check on you. I want to make sure you're safe."

"Edward can make sure that I'm safe," I reminded him.

"Yeah, but your bloodsucker isn't here right now, is he?" he reminded me, gesturing to the empty room. I sighed.

"No."


	5. Chapter 4

Edward hadn't come yet. He still didn't forgive me. Not that he should, of course, by no means should I have expected him to take this easily, but couldn't he at least say to my face that he didn't want to see me anymore? That I disgusted him? Was I worth just one more face-to-face confrontation to him?

Jacob stared down at me, puzzled, and wiped away a tear on my cheek. "Do you want me to leave?" he asked quietly. I shook my head, blinking away another tear. Edward wasn't there, but Jacob was, and I needed comfort from somebody who really knew me. There were only two people in the world who knew me well enough to comfort me in this moment, and one of them still had his scorching arm wrapped around my shoulders. Of course, he didn't know _everything_. Edward was still one-up with his information about me. I sighed. I couldn't tell Edward and not tell Jacob. I loved him, too, and it almost felt worse hiding something from him than hiding something from Edward. I might as well give Jacob a chance to hate me, too.

"I have to tell you something," I choked hoarsely, dragging him feebly to my bed. I sat down on the edge and stared out the window. The bedsprings creaked as he sat down beside me and took up most of the bed with his enormous frame.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly, trying to read my tired expression.

"I have a secret, too," I murmured, thinking of the night, very much like tonight, that I had concluded that he was a werewolf. He'd struggled to clue me in, to help me guess correctly. I didn't have to do that. There were no rules for me, except for the ones I'd set for myself: Keep control, keep it a secret. Well, I'd already broken both of those rules. "I am… strong," I wavered, forcing myself not to look at him.

"Yeah, right," he scoffed, thinkingI was joking. I shook my head subtly. "Bella, what is this? A joke? Even for a _normal _person, you're pretty weak," he laughed. I turned to him angrily.

"I'm _not _normal!" I told him, and my body tensed instinctively. I felt my strength rising up inside of me, as if to agree with me.

"Yeah. I guess you're right." He was still joking, but there was an edge to his voice now. Like he wasn't so sure that I was lying.

"You have to listen to me," I said urgently, absentmindedly taking his wrists. Shock crossed his face as he jerked his hands out of mine. I hadn't meant to hold them so tightly.

"How…" he asked, bewildered, rubbing his sore wrists. "No," he mumbled in awe, staring at me. "But you… you've never… I mean, it used to be easy to break your grip!" He sounded like he was coughing out the words.

"I've been holding back," I admitted, staring at the floor. He shook his head in disbelief.

"Bella, look at me," he said gently. I didn't. He lifted my chin with his thumb, and I didn't fight back. I could have, though. I could have kept my head down until his thumb broke. He seemed to understand that. I stared into his dark, worrisome eyes. I was afraid that he was going to reject me. I couldn't stand that. Jacob, more so than Edward, which was surprising, was the only person that I knew I could trust _everything_ with. Even with Edward, I was constantly masking my pain, trying not to hurt him. With Jacob, I could tell him exactly how I felt. I could tell him exactly how empty I'd felt when Edward was gone, or how ripped and torn apart I felt when he and Edward fought. Why couldn't I tell him this?

"Bella," he asked softly. "What's really going on?" I pressed my lips together and gauged his expression. He wasn't repulsed by the assumption he must have made that I was some kind of monster. He truly cared about me. I sighed.

"I'm… well, I don't really know what," I clarified, smiling transparently. He waited. "It's just that… I'm strong. Stronger than you. You saw that." Jacob nodded. "And… fast. I'm faster than… faster than _Edward_." Jacob's eyes widened, and I knew why. Edward, when he ran, became almost less than a streak. He was faster than any of the Cullens or werewolves. But I could outrun him, if I'd ever dared to try. I stopped, then. There really wasn't anything else to say. There wasn't much of an explanation- I had simply woken up one morning, irritated by my alarm clock, and became utterly surprised when I saw that I had pounded it into a pile of plastic chips and wires. Of course, I was reminded by a small voice in the back of my head, I hadn't told him everything. I'd left one of the most important tidbits of information out. Reluctantly, I unclenched my jaw to tell him the rest. I had to tell him everything, and let him judge me fairly. He would abandon me, of course. It wasn't fair for him to try to stay friends with a murderer. I would just have to accept that. I had killed someone, and now I could never go back to my normal life.

"I'm a murderer, Jacob," I said, my voice steely, not daring to hope that he could be accepting. In fact, I was shocked when he didn't get up and jump out the window, leaving me forever. Perhaps he thought that he owed me enough to stick around for my explanation. He was wrong, of course. I felt horrible for ever having befriended him. He was so noble, so selfless, and I was such an awful… And there it was. I couldn't even think the word "person" anymore. I didn't know what I was. I was caught between human and inhuman, innocence and the darkest evil. I was an outcast, and outcast who deserved to die, because I had taken somebody's life away from them.

"You're not a murderer," said Jacob, brushing my hair away from my face. I jumped away from him, confused. How could he say that?

"Yes, I _am_," I told him, staring back at him. How could he even stand to be in my presence? And then he started laughing. "What are you doing?" I asked, astounded. How was this funny? I was confessing a murder. He struggled to keep a straight face.

"I'm sorry, it's not funny," he said once he had regained himself. I shook my head in disbelief. "It was just the way you said it-" He chuckled again. "It was like you were trying to prove yourself. Like you were a little kid." He cracked up again. I crossed my arms and waited for him to stop. It felt good to cross my arms, because it was something that I had done when I _was _normal. The gesture felt so human. Finally, Jacob stopped roaring.

"I bet Charlie is awake by now," I told him. It didn't even matter though, because what was the difference, if I was grounded, if everybody hated me anyway? Of course, Jacob seemed to be taking it very differently than I had expected. "I _am _a killer," I said less harshly. "I killed somebody." He shook his head.

"That doesn't make you a murderer, Bella," he replied, not letting me interrupt. "It's like… if I made dinner, once, does that make me a chef?" I stared at him. How could he not understand the seriousness of the situation? I was evil! I was dangerous! And then, suddenly, my perspective shifted, because of that word. Had Edward not told me that, tried so hard to make me see that? And what had I said?

"_You're dangerous?" I guessed, my pulse quickening as I intuitively realized the truth of my own words. He _was _dangerous. He'd been trying to tell me that all along. _

_He just looked at me, eyes full of some emotion I couldn't comprehend. _

"_But not bad," I whispered, shaking my head. "No, I don't believe that you're bad."_

"_You're wrong."_

I was a little alarmed at the flashback, and then I understood the truth of it. When I thought of Edward, I did not think of a murderer, despite the people he had killed in the thirties. I did not think of someone who could easily kill me, or even of someone who struggled to not lunge at me. I supposed, in the back of my mind, these worries were there, but they were hardly ever applied to my conscious thought. He was Edward. Amazing, beautiful, perfect Edward, and even though I knew that he _had _killed people, I trusted him. I _loved _him. And I did not hold anything against him. He'd had no control. I could remember my crime scene. I, too, had felt out of control.

_It was dark, darker than I usually cared to stay out, especially so far from home. Something, though, had drawn me to Port Angeles, and I intended to know what it was. I paced the streets nervously, and my eyes kept drawing over to a particular alleyway. A dead end, a useless corner of the city. It served no purpose except to house the ragged man sitting on the ground near its mouth. I stopped walking and stared at him, curiosity and intrigue tugging me forward. Somehow I knew that this was the man that had pulled me here, to this street, to this city. I felt like a pawn in a game of chess as I stepped into the road and advanced. He leered at me, standing up. "Hey, gorgeous," he rasped drunkenly. I glared at him, unable to move. Why was I even here? What business had I with this man? And then, the ground rushed to meet me, and I realized that he had forced me to the ground. My anger overcame me, and I jumped up, pushing him back. I wasn't afraid. I had no emotion but rage. I felt it burning me, rearing up, preparing to strike. I could not contain it. I stopped thinking and let it run its course._

_When I came out of my trance, I was lying in my bed, staring at the ceiling. I knew that the man was dead. _

I had killed a man. He was a man who had wanted nothing bad for me, who had wished me pain, but he was still a living, breathing person, and I had killed him. And then, suddenly, I thought of Rosalie. She'd been in a similar situation, and she had let her anger control her. But nobody in her family thought badly of her for it. In fact, they probably respected her for rationally deciding to take revenge, because she hadn't killed her victims out of thirst. Neither had I.

So… was I being a complete idiot? Was it actually funny? And then, realization of what was really happening hit me, and I laughed. It was strange, but it felt good, so I laughed again. Jacob stared at me, perplexed.

"I'm sorry, it's not funny," I echoed him, still laughing. He smiled, which made me grin even more.

"You don't hate me?" I asked hopefully. He looked surprised.

"I love you, Bells," he replied, hugging me. "I can't even imagine why anyone would ever hate you." I smiled, tears overflowing my eyes. I got to keep Jacob. He still wanted to be my best friend. That was a relief.

And then, I thought of Edward. Yes, I got to keep Jacob. But Edward, the core of my existence, couldn't stand me. I didn't expect him to, but I still felt like I couldn't really be happy unless he still loved me. Did it really matter that Jacob didn't care about my criminal record, if Edward detested me?

Between the crook of Jacob's elbow, I saw a broken pair of black eyes staring at me through the open window.


	6. Chapter 5

I pushed Jacob aside. He winced, more surprised at my strength than hurt, but I hardly noticed. I sprang to the window and stuck my head out as far as it would go without my falling down. I could see a faint white figure streaking through the woods. "Edward," I whispered, a teardrop falling to the ground below. In a second, Jacob was by my side.

"Do you want me to bring him back here?" he asked reluctantly. I stared at him. How could he care enough to do that? I knew how much he hated Edward, and it was baffling to think that he thought I was worth that. Besides, it was wrong to force Edward to come back. If he wanted to leave me, he should leave. It was just nice that I'd gotten one last glimpse of him before he was gone. I sighed, admitting to myself that only a terrible, terrible person would say "yes" to Jacob.

"Yes," I said to Jacob.

Now, as I stared out at the woods, shivering from the cool night bit not bothering to take my quilt off of my bed and wrap it around me, I watched as a dark shadow quickly neared the white streak. Too soon, they both disappeared from my view, and I felt immensely alone. Would Edward come back? Would Jacob come back? He'd obviously, absurdly, accepted me, but maybe he thought he'd come back to find me asleep. If he was unable to bring Edward here, would he just go back to La Push?

Admittedly, it did feel weird to have Jacob here at night, as opposed to Edward, but I didn't care. I just wanted someone here. I didn't want to be alone, especially if I knew that the two people I cared about most in the world were running around in the trees.

I shuddered, the cold finally getting to me, and returned to my bed. I wrapped my quilt around my shaking body and realized, with a shock, that I was shaking with sobs. I pulled my legs up on the bed, wrapped my arms around my knees, and kept staring out the window, waiting for somebody to climb through it.


	7. Chapter 6

Eventually, I nodded off to sleep. Soon, though, I was awoken by the feel of cold hands on my arms. I opened my eyes and rolled over. Edward was leaning over me, pain and sorrow deep in his auburn eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered musically. "So very sorry."

"No," I murmured sleepily. "I should have told you sooner, but I was afraid-"

"…that it wouldn't be safe for me," he finished. I nodded silently. He sighed and looked out the window pensively. "It's the pattern of our lives. Always hiding for each other's safety…" He looked back at me. "This has always been so confusing," he said. "Love. But not bad." He smiled. "If you only knew how baffled I feel when I try to make sense of it all."

"That's how I feel, too," I confessed.

"Aggravating and wonderful," he mused. "But I never feel aggravated when I'm with you." Cautiously, as if waiting to make sure that he was forgiven for taking my "condition" so badly earlier, he leaned down and pressed his icy lips to mine. A bubble of panic rose within me as I kissed him back: I still had not told him about the man I had murdered. However, in the kiss, I realized that there would be a time for confessions, for grief, for apologies, but now was a time of ecstasy and togetherness. This moment belonged to love. I broke away, though, when I realized something.

"I still don't know _why_, though," I told him. "Why I'm like this. Or how." He cupped his hand around my cheek.

"It doesn't matter to me, Bella," he insisted. "And it shouldn't matter to you. The past is gone. Right now, I'm here, and I love you, and we're together." I nodded again. This was who I was, and it didn't matter what had happened or what would come. Without hesitation, Edward kissed me once again, holding me here, in the beautiful present.


End file.
